In many instances, it is desirable to introduce a substance into a live avian egg prior to hatch. Injection of various substances into avian eggs is commonly referred to as in ovo injection. Such injections have been employed to decrease post-hatch mortality rates, increase the potential growth rates or eventual size of the resulting bird, and even to influence the gender determination of the embryo. Similarly, injections of antigens into live eggs have been employed to incubate various substances used in vaccines which have human or animal medicinal or diagnostic applications. Examples of substances that have been used for, or proposed for, in ovo injection include vaccines, antibiotics and vitamins.
An egg injection apparatus (i.e., in ovo injection apparatus) may comprise a plurality of injection devices which operate simultaneously to inject a plurality of eggs. The injection apparatus may comprise an injection head which comprises the injection devices, and wherein each injection device is in fluid communication with a source containing a treatment substance to be injected. The in ovo injection apparatus conventionally is designed to operate in conjunction with commercial egg carriers or flats. Egg flats utilized in conjunction with an in ovo injection apparatus typically contain an array of pockets that are configured to support a respective plurality of avian eggs in a generally upright orientation. The egg flats may be typically transported through the in ovo injection apparatus via an automated conveyor system for registering the egg flat beneath the injection head for injection of the eggs carried by the egg flat. In ovo injection of substances (as well as in ovo extraction of materials) typically occurs by piercing an egg shell to form an opening (e.g., via a punch), extending an injection needle through the hole and into the interior of the egg (and in some cases into the avian embryo contained therein), and injecting treatment substance(s) through the needle and/or removing material therefrom.
Previous in ovo fluid delivery systems have employed peristaltic pumps for delivering the treatment substance out of all the injection devices simultaneously during an injection sequence. However, in some instances, it is desirable to implement in ovo injection selectively such that the treatment substance is not dispensed into dead, infertile, or missing eggs, for example, so as not to waste vaccine. Previous peristaltic pump systems implemented on in ovo vaccination systems did not provide such flexibility to allow for selective injection of viable eggs.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a fluid pump assembly for implementation on an in ovo injection apparatus capable of providing selective delivery of treatment substances to selected target eggs identified as viable. Furthermore, it would be desirable to provide an associated method and system that would facilitate selective injection of a treatment substance into selected target eggs in a flat.